[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"origin-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith":3,"chapter-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-364":6},{"origin":4,"title":5},"english","Childhood Friend of the Zenith",{"chapter":7,"nextChapterSlug":19,"prevChapterSlug":20,"totalChapters":21,"novelImage":22},{"id":8,"novel_id":9,"title":10,"slug":11,"index":12,"content":13,"wordcount":14,"created_at":15,"updated_at":15,"volume":16,"translator":17,"content_hash":18},1239840,1667,"Chapter 364","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-364",364,"\u003Cp>‘Crazy.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The first thought that burst from my lips was a curse. I couldn't help it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Rumble…\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The presence emanating from Bi-eujin was that powerful.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘...What is this?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To my knowledge, Bi-eujin’s physical state was supposed to be in its prime. No matter who he was hiding within, there was no way to deceive that level of power.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How can this be?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could feel my fingertips trembling. It wasn’t something I could control, and it wasn’t from fear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t afraid.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was purely a reaction to being overwhelmed by his presence.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi-eujin’s presence was engulfing my own, devouring it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was different from the murderous or fierce aura I had experienced before. When a martial artist builds up their strength and wisdom over the years, it naturally seeps into their very soul.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s what a martial artist’s presence is—an embodiment of the vessel they’ve built and expanded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Unless one intentionally displays it, it usually goes unnoticed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In other words, Bi-eujin was intentionally revealing his presence to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And that presence felt like an insurmountable wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So, this is the Three Masters…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even if his body was weakened, he was still one of the three strongest people in Jungwon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The presence of this man, who was said to be the pinnacle of martial arts, was heavy and immense.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"Boy.\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi-eujin's voice had changed when he spoke to me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His tone was lower, the rhythm gone, and the faint smile had disappeared. He looked the same, but he seemed like an entirely different person.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>\"When did you realize?\"\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not long ago.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was a lie.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew the moment I saw him and was already aware of his state. But there was no need to say that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi-eujin’s change wasn’t limited to his tone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His steps as he approached were different. It was a slight change, but to a martial artist’s eyes, it was significant.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Is that even possible?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A martial artist’s movements are based on the martial arts they’ve honed over a lifetime.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Because everyone’s martial arts are unique, even the smallest differences show in their movements.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>One could tell if someone was a swordsman or a fist-fighter just by how they walked or sat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Bi-eujin, being a martial artist, shouldn’t have moved this way, yet I could see that he was distinctly different.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This movement wasn’t that of Two Dragons Bi-eujin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>No, it was the movement of Pejon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon’s dark eyes focused on me. Meeting his gaze felt like staring into a bottomless abyss.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was unlike the chill I’d felt from the Shadow King.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Does anyone else know of this?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon didn’t deny my words. I had spoken with certainty, but I hadn’t expected him to confirm it so readily.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“No.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Good.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon then casually sat on a rock. Even this simple action was markedly different from how he’d been as Bi-eujin.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Gone was the casual elegance that he had projected as Bi-eujin. Now, even that seemed to have vanished.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He must have been controlling even those nuances.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It wasn’t just his actions but also his mannerisms that he seemed to control.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To control and master every movement like this... it made one wonder if that was something a human could even achieve.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“If you had told anyone else, things could have gotten troublesome.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>As he spoke, Pejon crossed his legs and looked at me with a peculiar expression.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His presence was still overwhelming. I was doing my best to conceal my cold sweat as I maintained my gaze on him.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How did you realize?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He wanted to know how I had figured out that he wasn’t Bi-eujin but Pejon.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I couldn’t very well say, “I nearly died at your hands in a past life, and I remembered when I came back.” So I went with a prepared excuse.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I had a hunch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon looked at me as if he couldn’t believe his ears. He seemed baffled that I had figured out his identity through a mere hunch.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A hunch? Did you just say a hunch?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes. I had a…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boy.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon rose from the rock. I nearly stepped back instinctively.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The force he emitted wasn’t something an ordinary peak martial artist could muster.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I suppose you know that I think highly of you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Yes, I knew.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon indeed thought highly of me, likely because of the talent I appeared to possess.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘How annoying.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was irritating to know that without talent, I wouldn’t even be on Pejon’s radar.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That’s the way of the world. People praised talent above all, calling this the Age of the Shooting Stars or whatever nonsense. In a world where talent ruled, where did I stand?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Achieving the peak at a young age was an accomplishment, but I had reached the Flowering level beyond that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Once this became known, what would people say about me?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>A genius for the ages? Something like that, perhaps.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Disgusting.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The more I thought about it, the more it made my skin crawl. Wanting to be called a genius was a childish fantasy.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Every martial artist dreamt of becoming the best. In a world where everyone wanted to be a master, actually achieving it might sound romantic.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘But there’s no time for such dreams.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to stay grounded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The events of my past life had shown me what happens when I forget my place.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“The only reason I’m not destroying you right now is because I still see value in you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Destroy, not kill, huh?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a fitting way for Pejon to speak, emphasizing his unique personality.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon continued to watch me, his eyes urging me to speak up, or else he would act.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It made me sigh inwardly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Why is everyone at the top so unhinged?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Be it obsession with martial arts or a lust for bloodshed, everyone was crazy in some way to reach this level.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Unless you can provide a satisfactory explanation…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you remember our match during the entrance exam?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I interrupted Pejon mid-sentence, bracing myself. Honestly, this was the most nerve-wracking moment.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon glared at me, but he didn’t press the issue.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He was giving me a chance to explain.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“It was then that I realized you weren’t just Bi-eujin but Pejon himself.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Technically, calling it a match was a stretch. I was weakened at the time, and the difference in our levels was enormous. Pejon had merely toyed with me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘It hurt my pride a bit, but…’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a blow to my ego, yet I had to accept it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After experiencing Pejon’s full strength in a past life, I understood why my body had remained intact after our fight.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“So you call that a hunch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His gaze grew colder. Clearly, he wasn’t satisfied with my answer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>When he introduced himself as Bi-eujin, he had claimed to be Pejon’s disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was likely a way to explain away his use of the unique martial art, Two Dragon Destroying Technique, if anyone saw him using it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In my past life, Pejon had kept his identity hidden so well that no one ever discovered it until he revealed himself during the Blood Carnage.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon was cautious by nature.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘So, I’ll need a better explanation.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I took a deep breath and decided to go for it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That’s not the only reason.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had prepared this in advance. It wasn’t the original plan, but I had little choice now.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“From long ago, I’ve taken an interest in you.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Oh?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Even as I said it, I felt an itch in my throat. This was hardly the kind of thing I wanted to be saying.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“What?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Your reputation as one of the greatest fighters and the meaning behind your title resonated with me.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>There was some truth to that. Although our martial arts weren’t identical, we both used fists.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon was at the pinnacle of his craft.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I even asked the Beggars’ Sect to investigate Bi’s family.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That part was true. I had asked Choo-ong, a member of the Beggars’ Sect, to look into the Two Dragons.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course, it was to keep an eye on Pejon and gauge his reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I see, you mean that old fox.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon also knew about Choo-ong.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Right, Choo-ong had mentioned being caught by Pejon. All I could do was give him a plausible story.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After mulling it over, Pejon spoke to me again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I understand that you admire me and wanted to meet, but…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I didn’t say admire.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Why was he putting words in my mouth? I’d never mentioned admiration once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon ignored my denial.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You know that’s not enough of a reason, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Of course.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Sending someone to look into the Two Dragons and discovering Pejon’s true identity didn’t add up. I’d brought this up to establish my interest in Pejon as early as possible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>At this point, I needed to state my reasoning clearly.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“While I became certain during our match, I had suspected it long before.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You mean you already knew who I was?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Not with certainty.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“How?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon’s reaction became more intense. If I didn’t give him a satisfying answer, I’d probably lose a limb.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Luckily, the reason I had in mind was simple and straightforward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…It was Elder Il Jang who mentioned it.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could say that Elder Il Jang had hinted at it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I knew of their connection, and from the fact that Elder Il Jang had previously received a recommendation from Pejon, it was likely they’d met even after Pejon’s rebirth.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, leveraging Elder Il Jang was my best option here.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Sorry, Elder, I’ll have to use your name for this.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Family has its perks, after all. He always called me his grandson, so surely, he’d understand this once.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Now, it all depended on Pejon’s reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I tried to appear calm as I watched his reaction.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon’s eyes widened at the mention of Il Jang, and soon, he responded.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“That damned fool…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>His reaction was intense, but it allowed me to relax a little.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Guryeon… that rotten bastard…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon pressed his forehead as if he were nursing a headache.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It seemed they weren’t just acquaintances.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>In any case, he seemed more exasperated than angry.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…So Guryeon told you?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“He didn’t give a full explanation. I pieced it together from snippets.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>If I claimed he’d explained everything, it could cause problems down the line. I tried to smooth it over.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Hopefully, this would work.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“…Tch.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon clicked his tongue, clearly displeased.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>By now, his overwhelming presence had completely dissipated.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘When did he retract it?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I hadn’t even noticed the immense aura receding.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Boy…”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon finally seemed to have calmed down as he spoke again.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wasn’t sure if my explanation had been enough.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Very well. I can overlook how you discovered my identity because there are more pressing matters.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘He doesn’t believe everything I said.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon wasn’t fully convinced, but it seemed there was something more important to him than my explanation.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“You must have had other motives for revealing this to me now, right?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“...”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon was right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I could have kept my knowledge of his identity a secret.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I had chosen to confront him directly for a reason.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Do you remember the offer you made to me?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I do.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Is this about that?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Yes.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I referred to the offer Pejon had made to me—no, the offer Bi-eujin had made.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>He’d asked me to be his disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon had told me directly. He wanted me as his disciple.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>This was my answer to that.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“Perhaps this is for the best. It’ll make things easier.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon smiled slightly, his previous air of intimidation gone.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“My offer remains the same. I’m asking you to be my disciple.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon, who had been so serious earlier, now seemed almost excited.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Is he that happy?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had no idea.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘Does he even know what my answer will be?’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Did he think I would simply accept? I was still agonizing over it, truth be told. The internal struggle began the moment he made the offer.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Becoming Pejon’s disciple had obvious advantages.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I couldn’t afford to discard everything I had learned up to this point to master a new martial art.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The skills Pejon had developed and the martial arts he’d displayed in my past life were undeniably alluring.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Facing him had made me feel an insurmountable wall.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But there was a problem.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>To adopt his techniques would mean undoing everything I had built.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>That was impossible.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Guyeomhwaryun Art was already a supreme martial art in its own right.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So, I had dismissed the idea of becoming Pejon’s disciple until recently.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But meeting Cheonma had changed things.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>The pace I’d achieved was far faster than in my past life.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I thought it would be enough. I believed I could make it.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But I was arrogant. I’d been complacent.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Blinded by praise, I’d forgotten the reality of who Cheonma was.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘I can’t win.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>How could I win?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wracked my brain daily, but this path offered no hope of victory.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>So I needed another way.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I had to find a way, no matter what.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I’d even thought of consulting my father for guidance on my path forward.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>But would that be enough?\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I didn’t think so.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>All my battles and the experience I’d gained as a martial artist made one thing clear.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>‘My martial prowess... it’s lacking.’\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>My fighting techniques were stiff, lacking flexibility.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And the man before me was the most suitable person to teach me.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>After all, Pejon stood at the pinnacle of martial combat.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I want to become your disciple, but there’s something I’d like to ask first.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“A request?”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon tilted his head, puzzled but not particularly annoyed.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was a request, yes.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>While I wanted to learn from Pejon, I didn’t want to abandon all that I had built.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>And... I also wanted to confirm something.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>“I’d like to learn your martial art without giving up what I’ve already mastered.”\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>I wanted to keep my Guyeomhwaryun Art intact while absorbing Pejon’s techniques.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>Pejon’s face twisted at my request.\u003C\u002Fp>\n\u003Cp>It was indeed a ridiculous thing to ask.\u003C\u002Fp>",2338,"2026-06-05T15:09:39.031Z",1,"novelbin.me","dca788cc3f75e2d9e1efe892f0c08e5568a6652b9be325a9e50a785474eec9bc","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-365","childhood-friend-of-the-zenith-chapter-363",974,"https:\u002F\u002Fnovelzhen.com\u002Fimages\u002Fcovers\u002Fchildhood-friend-of-the-zenith-cover.jpg"]